The family of a war veteran who lived in the same street his whole life has paid tribute to the much-loved pensioner.

John Pollitt, from Gravesend, died at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford following a stroke on July 19 at 83 years old.

He lived in the town, in Cornwell Avenue, his entire life and only moved over the street from his childhood home later in life.

Paying tribute to the family man, his son-in-law Paul Seymour said: “John was very much a family man with four children and a true patriarch. He always sat at the head of the table and worked hard all his life to keep a roof over their heads.

“He, along with his wife Valerie, was very much the hub of the family and will leave a massive hole in all our lives.

“We will miss his wisdom, there was no one better to have on a quiz team when it came to history, especially military history, or geography. He could name all the states of America and pretty much any capital city – life will be very difficult without him in it.

“John had always been a very active and fit man. Even after he retired he was always fiddling around with something and we truly thought that he would go on forever.”

John served in the British Army and joined the Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey) in 1957 where he was posted abroad, just days after marrying wife Valerie, and was “very proud” to have done so.

Paul added: “He was also considered a bit of an expert on all things military and could seemingly recall the date of any battle you could mention. This also meant that there were a lot of reasons to raise a glass to the regiment but it was all in a good cause.

“John always liked to tell a story or two of his army days. In particular how he and the regiment had been sent to Dortmund, in Germany, on a rescue mission after a massive gas explosion had devastated the area.

“We did not always believe all his stories were true as the details of some would change slightly over the years but I did a little research and not only found several articles about the disaster but also found some Pathé News with him in it. This became one of the highlights of many get-togethers.”

After serving as a private, John went on to work as an electrician at Imperial Paper Mills (IPM) in Gravesend before joining Cradle Runways in Crayford, fixing window cleaners’ cradles on high-rise buildings in London.

When he retired, the ex-army man could be found at his allotment in the town where he would grow marrow, runner beans and potatoes.

The Manchester United fan was very well known in his hometown and was a poppy collector for many years, a member of the local Royal British Legion, and a standard bearer at Remembrance Day events.

He met his wife Valerie, 82, when they were teenagers and she was out walking her dog. John, then 17, whistled to her pet, and Valerie walked over.

The rest is history and the pair tied the knot at Milton Church in 1959 – they were married for 64 years. They both loved to travel and had four children, David, Andrea, Duncan and Joanne.

John also loved his six grandchildren, Christopher, Gemma, Luke, Poppy, Rose and Hermione, and his three great-grandchildren, Fraser, Stanley and Olivia.

His funeral is being held at Thames View Crematorium on August 17 and will have military honours.